Ironing method and apparatus



April 17, 1962 J. F. CLEARMAN ETAL 3,029,535

IRONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TORS.

== Jack F C/earmazz I Georye @055 b Am, %....a bww lwflzz E April 17, 1962 -J. F. CLEARMAN ETAL 3,029,535

momma METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets$heet 2 IN V EN TORS Jack F U/earmazz f George 7?. U055 b %"W%ML4V@ HZLZL4L7E April 17, 1962 J. F. CLEARMAN ETAL 3,029,535

IRONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Shet s IN VEN TORS.

, Jack F C/earmazz George R. C055 13% 72% HZZ E April 17, 1962 .1. F. CLEARMAN ETAL 3,029,535

IRONINGMETHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TORS.

clack F C/earman George 7?. 0055 United States Patent 3,029,535 IRONING METHOD AND APPARATUS Jack F. Clearman, St. Joseph, and George R. Coss, Benton Harbor, Mich, assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 29, 1956, Ser. No. 606,861 12 Claims. (Cl. 38-14) This invention relates to improvements in ironing machines and to methods of ironing and more specifically relates to a method and apparatus for automatically dampening, pressing and drying textile fabrics.

Attempts have been heretofore made to provide an automatic ironing machine for home use which would eliminate many of the manual steps presently necessary to do a satisfactory job of preparing and ironing the average load of textile materials in the family wash. Some of these previous attempts have resulted in apparatus for automatically steaming the fabrics being ironed so as to eliminate the time consuming task of hand sprinkling and rolling each individual item. The hand sprinkling and rolling operation preferably takes place several hours prior to ironing so as to allow the moisture to become substantially evenly distributed throughout each garment or item. In addition to being time consuming, the hand sprinkling operation presents problems because of the attendant delay in waiting for the moisture to become substantially evenly distributed throughout the fabric and makes it necessary to schedule ironing time considerably in advance in order to prevent mildew. Further, even distribution of moisture is not always attained.

Hand steaming irons and previous attempts to apply the same principles to automatic ironing machines have done little toward providing a satisfactory means of solving the abovementioned problems. These devices do not accomplish a true dampening function. The ironing surfaces are heated to such a degree that the steam which is usually superheated, remains as steam and little or no condensation occurs to dampen the textiles. There is insufiicient mass to most textile fabrics to provide a cooling effect to condense this superheated steam. The primary advantage to these types of devices is that the steam generated thereby may prevent the extremely hot iron from scorching the fabrics and care must be taken that the steam itself is not of such a temperature as to be injurious to the particular fabric being ironed.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and means for automatically dampening materials as they are passed through the ironing elements of an ironing machine thereby to eliminate the inherent problems of delay, such as non-uniformity, mildew, etc., and to thereby provide for the immediate ironing of either completely dry or substantially dry clothing or materials taken directly from the clothes line or dryer without the necessity of further preparation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and means for automatically dampening and ironing materials passed through an ironing machine wherein a substantial part of the energy input used for dampening is utilized for drying thereby making possible low heat and low cost ironing,

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and means for automatically dampenin and smoothing material under pressure and subsequently drying by removing the moisture from the material or textile fabrics as they are passed between cooperating ironing elements.

It is a further object to provide means in association with an ironing element which operates automatically to generate steam and to condense the steam for deposit in a uniform manner upon the surface of the textile materials for dampening same.

It is a further object to provide means for controlling the amount of moisture deposited on the fabrics in accordance with the degree of dampness desired for satisfactory ironing.

It is a further object to provide means for controlling automatically the amount of condensate generated for dampening in proportion to the speed at which materials are passed between cooperating ironing elements.

It is a further object to provide means for preventing operation of the condensate generating means until proper operating conditions of temperature have been attained.

It is a further object to provide means to allow a deposit of condensate when textile materials are passed between the ironing elements in one direction and to prevent opera-' tion or" the condensate supply when the materials are moved between said ironing elements in the opposite direction.

It is a further object to provide means for generating steam in one portion of an ironing shoe, means for cooling another portion of the ironing shoe, and means for uniformly delivering the steam from the generating portion to the cool portion where it is condensed for uniform deposit upon the materials being passed between said shoe and a cooperating conveying element.

It is a further object to provide an improved construction of conveying means for moving materials between the conveying means and a cooperating ironing shoe.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description and disclosure of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an ironing machine in which the present invention may be embodied;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the under side of the ironing shoe showing the general arrangement of certain elements of the present invention, the view being taken along the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation, partly in section, illustrating the ironing shoe and cooperating conveying memher along with the general arrangement of certain details of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in cross section of the forward or leading edge of the ironing shoe illustrating the general arrangement of certain control elements of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIGURE 4 and serves to further illustrate the general arrangement of control elements;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIVI of FIGURE 5 and illustrates in detail the general arrangement of steam generating means;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the ironing shoe and conveying member showing, somewhat schematically, a modified form and arrangement of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical cross-sectional View through the ironing shoe and conveying member showing, somewhat schematically, a further modified form and arrangement of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view in cross-section of a portion of the ironing shoe, further illustrating the general arrangement of the steam generating means and the control means associated therewith, the View being taken generally along the line IX-IX of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 10 is an elevational view, partly in 'cross section, of a portion of one proposed form of construction for the conveying member particularly adapted for certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIGURE 11 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section of a portion of another proposed form of construction for the conveying member particularly adapted for certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIGURE 12 is a greatly enlarged view showing in cross-section the general appearance of a segment of woven textile fabric or the like before ironing;

FIGURE 13 is a greatly enlarged view showing in cross-section the general appearance of the material shown in FIGURE 12, after having been subjected to an ironing operation; and

FIGURE 14 is an elevational view partially in section, of another form of conveying member embodying principles of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the constructional details and general arrangement thereof are herein shown as being applied to an ironing machine of the general type shown and described in copending application, Ironer, George R. Coss, inventor, filed March 23, 1956, Serial No. 573,529, now Patent No. 2,924,898 dated Feb. 16, 1960. It is to be understood, however, that although the features, advantages and objectives of the present invention enjoy particular utility and utilize their advantages in the general arrangement illustrated, the general arrangement and its accompanying cooperative structural features may be utilized in other environments, as will be more readily understood following the detailed description.

FIGURE 1 illustrates an ironing machine of the type shown in the aforementioned copending application wherein a supporting cabinet 20 is provided which carries a conveying member 22 of the endless belt type which is adapted to cooperate with an ironing shoe 24 for ironing textile fabrics and the like which are passed between the conveying member 22 and the ironing shoe 24. Suitable means are provided for causing the shoe 24 to be moved into and out of engagement with the conveying member 22 and also for driving the conveying member at variable speeds both in a forward and in a rearward direction.

Referring to FIGURE 3, which shows the general arrangement of components comprising one proposed form of the present invention, the shoe 24 is compartmentized so as to provide a steam generating chamber or flashboiler 26 and a chamber 28 which will be filled with Water to provide a supply for generating steam and also provide a cooling effect for condensation of the generated steam. The top of the shoe 24 is provided with an opening 30 through which water is delivered to the compartment 28. The opening is provided with a suitable closure member 32.

Means are provided for delivering water from the chamber 28 to the flash-boiler 26. The means herein shown consists of a relatively small pump 34 (FIG. 6) having its inlet end 36 in communication with the chamber 28 and its outlet end 40 in communication with the flash-boiler 26. The outlet end 40 of the pump is provided with a suitable check valve 41 normally biased into closed position by means of a spring element 43 of any suitable type. This check valve 41 will be forced open on the exhaust stroke of the pump 34 and will be forced closed by means of the spring element 43 on the intake stroke. The pump may be of any suitable type but is here shown for illustrative purposes as being of the piston type. The piston 42 of the pump 34 flares outwardly against the inner wall of the pump cylinder and is formed of a relatively flexible material such as rubber, leather, or the like, and is suitably attached to a connecting rod 44. The connecting rod 44 is pivotally attached to a crank arm 46 which is oscillated to provide the intake and delivery strokes of the pump 34. Reciprocation of the piston in an intake direction will cause water to flow past the piston, and in a discharge direction will force the water out of the pump past the valve 41 in a well known manner. Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, it may be seen that the crank arm 46 is formed in a generally U-shaped manner, one end thereof being attached to the connecting rod 44, the opposite end thereof being free and formed into a generally flat follower member 48. Intermediate its ends, the crank arm passes through a wall 50 which further compartmentizes the shoe 24 and separates the pump control mechanism 52 from the water containing chamber 28. Thus, there is provided a compartment 54 to house the pump control mechanism 52, and to keep the operating parts of the mechanism out of water.

The follower member 48 of the crank arm 46 is biased into engagement with a cam 56 which is formed as an integral part of a control wheel 58. The control wheel 5'8 is journaled on an axle 60 carried by a generally U-shaped bracket 62. The bracket 62 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 64 extending across the compartment 54 and is fixed such as by securing into the wall 50. By means of this pivotal mounting of the bracket 62, the control wheel is adapted to be retracted into a position wholly within the shoe 24, or projected so as to have a portion thereof exposed below the surface of the shoe 24. To that end, the shoe is provided with a slot 66 of sutficient size to allow the wheel 58 to pass therethrough.

When the shoe 24 and conveying member 22 are brought into ironing contact with the control wheel 58 in its projected position, shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4, movement of the conveying member 22 will, by means of its intimate contact with the wheel, cause the wheel 58 to be rotated. For example, if the upper portion of the conveying member 22 is moved to the left, as seen in FIGURE 3, so as to feed materials through the ironing components, the wheel 58 will be caused to rotate in a clockwise direction. The frictional driving contact when ironing will, of course, be transmitted through the textile materials. It is obvious, from the above description, that rotation of the wheel 58 will, through the cam 56, cause the follower member 48 and thus the crank arm 46 to oscillate by means of its pivotal mounting on a suitable bearing support provided by the bracket 68 which is secured to the wall 50. The oscillation of the crank arm 46 imparts a reciprocatory movement to the connecting rod 44 and thus to the piston 42. Each revolution of the wheel 58 will, therefore, provide an intake and a discharge stroke for the pump 34.

As the speed of movement of the conveying member 22 is varied, in accordance with the teachings of the aforementioned copending application, the speed of the wheel 58 will likewise be varied so that water will be pumped from the chamber 28 into the flash-boiler 26 in proportion to the speed of travel of materials between the ironing components.

Prior to ironing on machines of this type, it is necessary for the operator to turn on a heating element which usually is thermostatically controlled and provides a signal to indicate to the operator when the temperature of the shoe has attained the desired degree for proper ironing. Such conventional means will also preferably be provided in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention.

The heating element for the shoe 24 is indicated at 70 and may be of the well-known sheath type and is suitably embedded within a casting 72 so as to uniformly distribute the heat throughout the ironing areas of the shoe 24. The flash-boiler 26 is intimately associated with the heating element 70, being partially formed as an integral part of the casting 72 at the leading edge thereof as shown in FIGURES 3 and 6. A suitable closure element 74 is provided which extends angularly between the forward upturned flange of the casting 72 and the horizontally extending heating surface thereof.

When the temperature of the ironing surface has attained a sufficient degree, a small amount of water pumped in the flash-boiler 26 past the check valve 41 will immediately flash into steam. Referring to FIGURE 6, it may be seen that this steam will be thoroughly dispersed throughout the flash-boiler. Angularly extending conduits 76 are provided in the forward upturned flange of the casting 72 to direct the steam thus generated into a cavity 78 which forms an insulating air space between the heat source and steam generating area and the relatively cool water supply chamber 28, The lower surface of the shoe 24 is provided throughout its length with a plurality of ports 80 communicating with the cavity 78 and providing a means of escape for the steam which has been uniformly dispersed therein.

It is to be noted that the water supply chamber 28 is well insulated from the heating source by means of an insulating wall 82 of any suitable material as well as by means of the air space provided by the cavity 78. Such insulation serves to maintain the water supply at a substantially lower temperature which in turn serves to cool the surface of the shoe 24 adjacent its lower leading edge.

As steam is emitted from the fiashaboiler 26 through the ports 80, it will be caused to condense into tiny water droplets as it comes into contact with the cool leading edge of the shoe 24. As textile materials are passed into contact with this leading edge of the shoe, they will wipe this moisture away and become uniformly danrpened. Inasmuch as the steam generating process is a continuous operation, under the control of the operator, steam will be continuously emitted through the ports 80, condensed upon the lower leading edge of the shoe 24, and transferred to the materials being ironed in a continuous and uniform manner.

Inasmuch as it would be undesirable to have the pump 34 operating until such time as the temperature of the ironing surface and the flash-boiler 26 is sufficiently high to generate steam for uniform distribution to the textiles, it is necessary to provide means responsive to such temperatures to control the operation of the pump. To this end, it may be noted that the pivotally mounted bracket 62 which retracts and projects the pump control wheel 58 is connected, by means of a looped end 84 to a control arm 86. The control arm 86 extends rearwardly toward a point adjacent the flash-boiler 26 where it terminates in a downwardly turned end 88 connected to one end of a generally U-shaped operating arm 90. The arm 90 extends perpendicularly to the control arm 86 (FIG. 9) and is slidably connected at its opposite end to a supporting rod 92 which is rigidly fastened at its opposite end to the wall of the casting 72. Intermediate its ends, the arm 90 is engaged by the operating plunger 94 of a thermally responsive element 96 of well-known type. This element 96 is mounted in the casting 72 in close association with the heating source and is so adapted and arranged that as the temperature increases a force is applied to move the plunger 94 to the right as viewed in FIGURES 3 and 9. It is evident that such movement will be transmitted to the control arm 86 and will result in a clockwise pivotal movement of the bracket 62 about the shaft 64 whereby the control wheel 58 will be moved from its retracted position to its projected position. The element 96 will be so calibrated that the temperature of the heating means and the fiash-boiler 26- will be at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit, before the control wheel 58 Will be projected to operate the pump 34.

It may be noted that the control arm 86 and the supporting rod 92 are passed through compression springs 87 and 93 respectively. Each of these springs has one end thereof in engagement with an upright wall 71 of the casting 72, and the opposite end thereof in engagement with the operating arm 90. The spring 93 requires a somewhat greater force to compress than does the spring 87. As the plunger 94 begins to move and apply a force to the operating arm 90, the control arm 86 will be urged toward the right, compressing the spring 87 until such time as the control Wheel 58 is in its projected position. The wheel will be in engagement either with the conveying member 22, or its maximum projected position as controlled by the slot 66 in the shoe 24. This move-' ment will result in an angular displacement of the operating arm 90 as viewed in FIGURE 9. As the temperature further increases, and the plunger 94 is further moved toward the right, and, since the control arm 86 is stopped from further movement, the operating arm 90 will be urged to move relative to the supporting rod 92 compressing the spring 93. Such movement will tend to overcome the angular displacement of the operating arm above described, and, at extremely high temperatures, may result in an angular displacement of opposite direction. Since the spring 87 requires less force to compress than the spring 93, the control arm 86 will be moved to project the control wheel 58 when the proper temperature has been attained and such will occur prior to any movement of the operating arm 90 relative to the supporting rod 92.

Means are also provided to prevent the pump 34 from operating when the conveying member 22 is moving in a reverse direction, that is, a direction which will impart a counter-clockwise rotation to the control wheel 58. To this end the cam 56 is provided with a serrated peripheral edge in much the same manner as a coin. Pivotally mounted upon the bracket 62 is a cam dog 98 having a similarly serrated peripheral edge. The configuration of the cam dog 98 is such that when it is in the position shown in FIGURE 4 it may readily rotate throughout a limited arc in a counter-clockwise direction so as to provide for free rotation of the cam 56 in a clockwise direction. The connecting leg 100 of the U-shaped bracket 62 provides a surface against which the cam dog abuts, as shown, to prevent clockwise rotation thereof. It is obvious that any attempt to rotate the control wheel 58 and cam 56 in a counter-clockwise direction will result in the serrated surfaces of the cam and cam dog becoming interlocked to prevent such rotation.

This operation is necessary to prevent the re-dampening of any article which may have been dampened and ironed upon passage through the ironing elements in a forward direction and is being returned to the operator by movement of the conveying member 22, in a reverse direction.

It has been previously mentioned that means are provided for manually preselecting the degree of dampening in accordance with the desires of the operator. To that end, the crank arm 46 has a projecting arm 102 rigidly secured thereto (FIG. 4). A tension spring 103 has one end connected to the arm 102 and the other end to the bracket 68 so as to provide a biasing force normally urging the arm 102 into engagement with one side of a four sided cam 104. The cam 104 is mounted upon a shaft 106 rotatably mounted Within the wall 50 (FIG. 5) and projecting outwardly from the side of the shoe 24. A suitable control knob 108 is secured to the shaft 106 and is arranged to cooperate with suitable indicia to correspond to the four settings provided by the foursided cam 104. It may be readily observed that each side of the cam 104 is spaced in graduated amounts from the axis of rotation thereof so that rotation of the knob 108 in 90 degree increments will cause the arm 102 to assume different positions. For illustrative purposes the drawings show indicia corresponding to the four settings reading clockwise in FIGURE 1, as follows: Off, L (low), M (medium) and H (high). The Off position is illustrated in FIGURE 4 where it may be seen that the relationship of the cam 104, arm 102, and the crank arm 46 is such that rotation of the cam 56 will not impart any movement to the crank arm '46. Therefore, even though the control wheel 58 and the cam 56 may be rotated, no water will be pumped into the flash-boiler 26.

As the cam is rotated counter-clockwise in 90 degree increments, the arm 102 and the crank arm 46 will assume graduated normal positions responsive to the bias of spring 103 and rotation of the cam 56 will thus impart a movement to the crank arm 46 to cause the pump 34 to pump water from the supply chamber 28 to the flashboiler 26. It is obvious that the different positions of cam 104 will provide various lengths of stroke of the piston 42 and the pump 34 will thus, depending upon the setting deliver a predetermined amount of water on each delivery stroke thereof. While the cam 104 is illustrated herein as having four positive positions it may, of course, have additional positive positions as desired, or may take the form of a volute having an infinite variation over a specific range. It is believed, however, that the type of arrangement shown will be found to be practical inasmuch as the variations between each of the positions will not be very great.

After being dampened by the means above described, the materials are then passed beneath the ironing surface where they are dried and smoothed under heat and pressure. One of the important features of the present invention is that the heat given up by the steam as it is condensed and deposited on the fabrics will be utilized in partially drying the fabrics. Therefore, the heating element does not need to be of as great capacity as heretofore required.

In preparing fabrics for ironing, it is not necessary to thoroughly saturate them, but only necessary to slightly dampen them, provided such dampening is uniformly done. It is further preferable that the dampening be confined only to the vicinity of the surface being ironed inasmuch as it is this dampening which softens the fibres to prepare them for setting and smoothing by heating under pressure. Referring to FIGURES 12 and 13 there is shown a magnified section of a portion of textile material M, made up of a plurality of interwoven warp and weft threads T and T each of which are further made up of a plurality of fibres F twisted together. FIGURE 12 shows this material as it appears prior to ironing and FIGURE 13 illustrates the material after ironing. The most elfective and practicable dampening of this material preparatory to ironing would be to uniformly distribute a slight amount of moisture over the entire surface thereof to a depth of approximately 15%25 of the entire thickness thereof as indicated by the horizontal dot-dash line D drawn therethrough. The moisture thus deposited is sufficient for practical ironing of the surface of most textile materials. More thorough dampening is unwanted, inasmuch as it requires more time and more heat to remove such moisture during the ironing operation. The additional heat, of course, takes more electricity and therefore makes the ironing more costly.

The prior methods of hand-sprinkling have, of course, been haphazard and have not achieved the most desirable results above described. The closest approach to such results has probably been the well-known application of a damp cloth over the surface to be ironed. This, again, is a time consuming and troublesome operation as may be appreciated, since it is necessary to continually redampen the cloth as it becomes dried out.

The method and apparatus for dampening above described is capable of providing uniformly distributed moisture in a controlled amount over the surface of a textile material which, when passed immediately through the ironing elements associated with the dampening mechanism, will be readily removed with a minimum amount of heat before it has an opportunity to penetrate throughout the depth of the fabric. It is obvious that this method and apparatus will be equally as effective as a deterrent to scorching.

FIGURE 7 shows a modified form of the invention. In this modification a steam generating source 140 is located within the conveying member 22 so that the steam generated thereby will pass upwardly through the materials 142 being ironed. Although for the sake of clarity of the figures, the conveyor 22, and ironing shoe 24 are shown separated from the fabric 142, in operation they will press against the fabric to cause the shoe to press firmly on the fabric, and the surfaces may be separated to remove the fabric. The steam generating source 140 includes a tank 144 containing water to be transformed to steam. The water is supplied to the tank by water supply line 146, and heating elements 148 in the bottom of the tank heat the water to transform it to steam. The top of the tank is open to permit the steam to escape upwardly through the valve of the conveyor 22 and pass 8 through the fabric 142 to condense on the undersurface of the shoe 24.

The cooling chamber comprises a tank 152 with a cover 154 for filling with water. The tank 152 is separated from the heater 156 by insulated walls 155 in order that the fiuid in the chamber will remain cool for the steam to continue condensing on the cooling surface 156. The heater 156 has embedded heating elements 1'57 to heat the lower ironing surface 158.

After passing through the fabric 142 the steam is condensed on the condensing surface 150 and transferred to the top surface of the fabric to dampen it. The fabric will then pass beneath the heated ironing surface 158 to thereby dry and smooth the same under pressure. The steam generating means may be of any suitable type such as the type previously described or may be of the type having a pump operated by a control wheel which would be driven by the under side of the conveying belt. Since the generated steam is superheated, and since the textile materials do not have sufiicient mass to cause any great amount of condensation, the steam passes through. Here again the condensation and depositing of moisture will take place on the upper surface of the material where it may be readily removed by the ironing element.

In order to provide for cooler operation and further reduce the possibility of scorching, means may be added to the structure to provide for rapid drying with a minimum amount of heat being applied by the ironing surface. The ability heated dry air to carry moisture is well known. As an example, one pound of dry air at 70 degrees Farenheit is capable of absorbing 0.01578 pound of water, whereas one pound of dry air at 200 degrees Farenheit, is capable of absorbing 2.2953 pounds of water, or approximately 145 times as much as the same weight of air at 70 degrees Farenheit.

To apply this principle to the present invention, the rearward portion of the ironing shoe surface is perforated, as shown at 160 in FIGURE 7, and a blower 162 having a relatively high air flow is provided to cause air to flow through the porous conveying surface 164 and the fabric 142. Suitable ductwork would be, of course, provided to permit entry of air to the space beneath the upper portion of the conveying member. Preferably this air would be heated by passing it in heat transfer relationship with a heating element. As is shown in the drawmgs, the air would be drawn from the space 166 between the rollers 168 and 170 carrying the conveying belt 164, and is heated by the steam generating means 140. The heated dry air pulled through the fabric 142 would considerably speed up the rate of moisture extraction. With this arrangement, the ironing surface could be relatively cool compared to what has heretofore been common practice. Since the present arrangement for dampening actually deposits very little moisture it will be readily removed by the structure illustrated. Actually the ironmg is done more by dampening, applying pressure, and removing the moisture by air flow rather than by heat. Such arrangement will make the task of ironing more pleasant for the operator because of the cool operation. Means could be provided for varying the speed of the air circulating means in accordance with the selected degree of dampness in order that the two operations would be compatible.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 8, a steam supply is again provided on the under surface of the conveying member 22. The leading edge of the shoe 24 is cooled by providing an inlet 24a for ambient air as shown, which air passes through a labyrinth chamber 172 having baflles 173, through an opening 174 past an insulating barrier 175 and into heat exchange relationship with the heating element 176 where it is heated to increase its moisture absorption capacity. The heating element has radiating fins 178, which are heated by embedded heating elements 180. A suction head 181 is provided to pull such heated air through perforations 182 in shoe 184 and thence through fabric 186 being ironed and porous conveying member 187 to a suitable exhaust conduit 188. Suction is created by air fan 190.

As previously mentioned, the present invention also contemplates the provision of an improved structure [for the conveying member 22. FIGURES 1-0 and 11, and 14 illustrate three proposed constructions, each having particular utility in various modifications of the overall arrangement of the machine. The structure of FIG- URES and 14 is particularly well suited to the basic embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 3 wherein the steam is generated within the shoe 24 and deposited in the form of condensate upon the surface of the textile materials without having to pass through them. Referring to FIGURES 3 and 10, it may be seen that the conveying member 22 is arranged as an endless belt passing around front and rear roller means 110 and 112, one ofwhich is a driving roll and the other being a driven roll. The rolls are mounted upon suitable axles 114 and 116 which are suitably journaled at each end thereof within the cabinet structure 20. The rolls are made up of a plurality of pulley-like wheels 118 placed face-to-face across the width of the conveying member 22 upon the axles. Each of these wheels 118 carries a thin endless band 120 made of spring steel or other suitable material. bonded to each band 120 is a strip of padding material 122. This padding may be made of cotton, felt, sponge rubber, or any other suitable material having the desired characteristics of resilience, temperature resistance, etc. A suitable tubular fabric cover 124 is provided which covers the entire width and length of the conveying member.

The purpose of providing laminated narrow bands of padding material 122, shown in FIGURE 10 as extending across the width of the conveying member 22, is to provide an arrangement which has less tendency to creep under normal operating conditions. It has been found that if the padding material is made in a single piece across the width that it does not track as well, and furthermore, is extremely diflicult to guide because of the extreme force which must be applied to the edges to maintain it in alignment. In addition, the edges of thepadding and cover become frayed and worn quickly with the result that the life of the conveying member is very limited. By providing a plurality of individual narrow bands as above described, each of which is subjected to edge guiding by means of slight flanges 126 on the wheels 118, the problem of lateral creeping or misalignment is greatly reduced and only a slight amount of edge guiding force is necessary to maintain the relatively thin cover material 124 in alignment. Any suitable form of edge guiding means denoted by the reference numeral 128 may be provided at some point between the forward and rearward rolls to maintain the alignment.

In the structure illustrated in FIGURE 11, Which is more particularly adapted to use in the modifications of the invention wherein the steam passes upwardly through the material before being condensed upon the surface thereof, it may be noted that the axle 114 is provided with pulleys 130 at each end thereof and a cylindrical sleeve 132 is joined to the inner face thereof to provide the basic structure. A V-belt 134 is trained about the pulleys 130 and is suitably attached to the cover material 136. Little or no padding is provided beneath the cover 136 in this modification since the steam must pass upwardly through the relatively porous cover. If any padding is desirable it, too, must be relatively thin and porous. Since the traveling conveying member 22 in this instance is relatively thin, edge guiding is not as great a problem and means such as 128 shown in FIG- URE 10 will normally be adequate.

FIGURE 14 illustrated a modified form of construction for the rolls illustrated in FIGURE 10. In this instance the roll is shown as a single piece and is pro vided with a plurality of crowned segments 138 which Suitably will act to center the narrow bands and provide a substitute for the flanged wheels 118. This form of construction is economical, convenient to assemble, and will eliminate wear on the edges of the individual bands. The crowned segments by reason of their shape will cause the bands to tend to ride at the largest diameter much the same as a crowned pulley. .The crowned segment may be produced individually and stacked on the axle in much the same manner as the wheels 118 shown in FIG- URE 10, but, preferably will be produced as an integral part of the roll.

We have in the drawings and specification, presented a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of our invention, but it is to be understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed but intend to cover all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A mechanism for smoothing a fabric material comprising an ironing member having a smooth heated surface for being pressed in engagement with the material, a member for applying moisture to said material, a member for conveying the material past the moisture supply member and in contact with said heated surface, a control wheel positioned to be in engagement with the conveying member to be rotated thereby when the fabric is moved past the ironing member, a control device for controlling operation of select members of the machine, and means operatively connecting the control Wheel with said control device to operate the control device only when the wheel is rotated by movement of the conveying member.

2. A mechanism for dampening a fabric comprising in combination, an ironing shoe having means interiorly thereof providing on said shoe a cooled surface to be engaged by the fabric, means within said shoe for generating a supply of steam, means for directing the steam against said cooled surface to form a continuous supply of very small droplets of moisture thereon which will be absorbed by the fabric as it is passed over said surface, and conveyor means generally coextensive with the ironing shoe to move and continuously support the fabric in a generally dry state and substantially at room temperature in contact with said cooled surface to receive the small droplets and wet the surface of the fabric.

3. An apparatus for smoothing a fabric material comprising, an ironing shoe having means interiorly thereof providing a first cooled surface to be engaged by the fabric and a second heated smooth surface downstream therefrom and also to be engaged by the fabric, a conveyor generally coextensive with said ironing shoe 'carrying the material in a generally dry state and substantially at room temperature first past said cooled surface and subsequently past said heated surface and in pressure contact with said heated surface while continuously and firmly supporting the material from therebeneath, a steam generator within said shoe supplying a controlled quantity of steam, and means for directing the steam of the generator against said cooled surface to condense water droplets thereon with the fabric wiping the droplets from said surface to dampen the fabric material.

4. A mechanism for smoothing a fabric material comprising an ironing shoe having means interiorly thereof providing on said shoe a cooled surface against which the material is moved in a generally dry state and substantially at room temperature, means within said shoe for generating a supply of steam in a non-superheated condition and directing said steam against said cooled surface, said shoe further forming a heated ironing surface adjacent said cooled surface, and means generally coextensive said ironing shoe to convey and continuously support said fabric material in contact with said cooled surface to Wipe the droplets of moisture therefrom 1 1 and wet the surface of said material and to subsequently move said material along said heated surface to again vaporize the moisture and to smooth the fabric.

5. A mechanism for smoothing a fabric material comprising an ironing shoe having a cool moisture-condensing surface, a steam generator positioned opposite said surface and adapted to force a supply of steam against said surface, a smooth heated ironing plate positioned adjacent said condensing surface, a porous surface positioned adjacent said smooth heated ironing plate, means for conveying fabric material along said surfaces in engagement with the condensing surface to wipe the droplets of moisture therefrom and subsequently conveying the fabric in engagement with the ironing plate to smooth the surface thereof and thereafter conveying the fabric across the porous surface, and means for forcing a flow of air through said porous surface to carry away the moisture vapor that is evaporated from the fabric.

6. A mechanism for smoothing a fabric material comprising a material-treating shoe having a smooth materialengaging surface and a hollow interior and provided with an opening at the front end for the intake of cool air to cool the front end of the material-engaging surface, said shoe also provided with a plurality of air discharge openings at the rear end of the material-engaging surface, means for directing a supply of steam against said material surface at the front end adjacent the cool air intake causing the steam to condense in droplets thereon, heating means at the center of the material-engaging surface for ironing the material and for heating the air as it passes towards said discharge openings, means to cause a flow of air through the shoe, and means for passing the material in contact with said surface from the front to the rear of the shoe to sequentially wipe the droplets of moisture from the surface to moisten the material, to smooth the material against the heated portion of the surface, and to receive a flow of air from the discharge opening to carry away the moisture vapor at the rear end of the shoe.

7. In an ironing machine, a heated ironing shoe, an endless belt for carrying the fabrics through the machine and slidably against the ironing shoe, a pair of rolls carrying the belt, at least one of said rolls having an axle, a plurality of pulley-like wheels mounted by said axle, a thin endless band of material surrounding each of said wheels, a strip of padding material attached to each band to engage the endless belt, whereby the tendency of the belt to creep is reduced and tracking is improved, said ironing shoe providing a smooth heated surface adapted to be brought into ironing relationship with the belt whereby the belt is slidably driven against said heated surface by one of the rolls, said ironing shoe also forming a cooled surface ahead of said heated surface, and means delivering steam against said cooled surface to condense the steam, whereby moisture is wiped off said cooled surface by fabrics carried on the belt.

8. In an ironing machine, a heated ironing surface, an endless belt for carrying the fabrics through the machine and against the ironing surface, a pair of rolls supporting the belt, at least one of said rolls having an axle, pulleys at each end of the axle, a cylindrical sleeve extending between the pulleys, and a V belt trained around each of the pulleys and attached to the belt whereby the belt is evenly driven and steam can pass upwardly through the relatively porous belt, a steam generator positioned with an outlet projecting steam outwardly from within the endless belt, and a cooled condensing surface positioned in close relationship to the belt whereby moisture will condense on the cooled condensing surface and fabrics will be carried on the driven belt in engagement with the condensing surface for dampening by moisture condensed thereon.

9. In an ironing machine, a heated ironing surface, an endless belt for carrying the fabric in sliding contact with said ironing surface, a pair of rolls carrying said endless belt, at least one of said rolls having an axle, a plurality of crowned segments positioned coaxial with the axle and mounted thereon, thin endless bands of material surrounding each of said crowned segments and a strip of padding material bonded to each of said bands for driving the belt whereby the tendency of the belt to creep is reduced and tracking is improved, said heated ironing surface adapted to be brought into ironing relationship with the belt, whereby the belt is slidably driven against the surface by one of the rolls, a cooled surface ahead of the heated surface, and means delivering steam against the cooled surface to condense the steam, whereby moisture is wiped off the cooled surface by fabrics carried on the belt.

10. In an ironing machine, an ironing shoe forming a heated ironing surface, an endless conveying belt for moving the fabrics through the machine and against said ironing surface, a pair of spaced cylindrically shaped rolls carrying the belt, at least one of said rolls having a supporting axle, a plurality of individual elements mounted on said axle having an arcuate outer surface coaxial with the axle, and means extending over said elements and providing an outer carrying surface for the conveying belt, said belt riding over said carrying surface of said carrying means, a steam generator positioned with an outlet projecting steam outwardly from within the endless belt, and a cooled condensing surface formed by said ironing shoe positioned in close relationship to the belt whereby moisture will condense on said cooled condensing surface and fabrics will be carried on the driven belt in engagement with the condensing surface for dampening by moisture condensed thereon.

11. The method of smoothing a fabric material comprising directing a supply of steam in a confined path towards a cooled surface to condense the steam into droplets of moisture, conveying a material to be smoothed through said confined path past the surface and in contact therewith to wipe the small droplets of condensed moisture from the surface to Wet the material, without interruption passing the material in pressure contact over a smooth ironing surface, and thereafter forcing a flow of air through the material to carry the evaporated moisture from the material after it has been smoothed.

12. The method of smoothing a fabric material which includes the steps of moving the fabric material in a confined path, at one point on the path directing a flow of steam against a cooled condensing plate to form condensed droplets of moisture, engaging the fabric material in contact with the cooled condensing plate to absorb the condensed droplets of moisture, thereafter subjecting the moving fabric material to pressure contact with a heated smooth ironing surface at a second point on the confined path to smooth the surface of the fabric material and evaporate the moisture, and directing a stream of temperature-conditioned air from a source through the moving fabric material at a third point in the path to carry the moisture vapor therefrom after the fabric material has passed the smooth ironing surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 134,956 Weston Jan. 14, 1873 387,288 Gessner Aug. 7, 1888 736,661 Wiles Aug. 18, 1903 882,334 Moore Mar. 17, 1908 1,007,137 Palmer Oct. 31, 1911 1,602,026 Iuergens Oct. 5, 1926 1,692,832 Harrison Nov. 27, 1928 1,978,654 Strachan Oct. 30, 1934 2,003,902 Randlctt June 4, 1935 2,026,422 Fielding Dec. 31, 1935 2,038,050 Long Apr. 21, 1936 2,288,778 Bradley July 7, 1942 (Other references on following page) 13 UNITED STATES PATENTS Ferris Dec. 14, 1943 Clark July 3, 1945 Getgey Ian. 1, 1946 Dyer Mar. 5, 1946 5 14 Waage Mar. 9, 1948 Page Sept. 14, 1948 Gayring Sept. 5, 1950 Case Aug. 17, 1954 Hajos Apr. 8, 1958 

